Building the Ultimate Senators Dream Team from Draft Picks

The Hockey News has unveiled its Annual Draft Preview, a treasure trove of insights, rankings, and predictions. Among the highlights is an intriguing exercise where the publication created a homegrown dream team for each franchise, including the Ottawa Senators. This compilation showcases the best players drafted by the Senators, featuring a lineup of 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Writer Jared Clinton meticulously crafted this list, focusing exclusively on active players who were drafted by Ottawa, regardless of their current teams. The forward lineup boasts talent such as Brady Tkachuk, Mika Zibanejad, and Tim Stutzle, alongside Mark Stone, Drake Batherson, and Shane Pinto. Rounding out the forward group are Ridly Greig, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mark Kastelic, Nick Foligno, Stefan Noesen, and Cole Reinhardt.

On the blue line, the Senators are represented by Jake Sanderson, Erik Karlsson, Thomas Chabot, Tyler Kleven, Cody Ceci, and Jacob Bernard-Docker. In goal, the selections include Joey Daccord and Leevi Merilainen.

As someone who has closely followed the Senators since their inception, I took a moment to reflect on Clinton’s selections. To my surprise, I found little room for disagreement. While I could make a case for Curtis Lazar potentially replacing a player like Cole Reinhardt or Stefan Noesen—who never suited up for the Senators—it would be a minor quibble.

In light of Clinton’s list, I decided to construct an all-time homegrown Senators dream team. While some active players remain, many legends from the franchise’s past have made the cut. This roster considers the contributions players made during their time with the Senators and the potential some still hold. The all-time forwards include Daniel Alfredsson, Alexei Yashin, and Marian Hossa, alongside Brady Tkachuk, Mika Zibanejad, Tim Stutzle, and Mark Stone. Jason Spezza, Pavol Demitra, Drake Batherson, and Mike Fisher join them, with Shane Pinto rounding out the group.

Defensively, we see a strong lineup featuring Jake Sanderson, Erik Karlsson, Chris Phillips, Thomas Chabot, Anton Volchenkov, and Tyler Kleven. In goal, the all-time selections are Ray Emery and Brian Elliott.

Looking ahead, it’s challenging to envision any player from the last five Senators drafts making it onto either of these lists just yet. While Carter Yakemchuk, Logan Hensler, Stephen Halliday, and Leevi Merilainen show promise, they still have significant strides to make. The silver lining is that they have ample time to develop their skills.

As the 2026 NHL Draft approaches, there’s always the possibility that a new standout will emerge from Ottawa’s ranks, adding to the franchise’s legacy.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.